I hate the idea of Ron Parker starting at cornerback for the Chiefs. But I’m starting to believe that he has a future at safety.
On this episode of Roughing the Kicker, Joshua Brisco talks about Chiefs news including Ron Parker’s big new contract, the impact of the restructured Ben Grubbs deal, and Dwayne Bowe’s future in Cleveland. Then find out how a few prominent mock drafts can’t seem to agree on which position the Chiefs will address in the first round. Also, hear about the future of Philip Rivers and the rest of the news from this week in the NFL.
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Last year, Ron Parker’s performance at cornerback gave most of us a distaste for his role in the Chiefs secondary. However, John Dorsey doesn’t seem to agree with our hesitance. Though the contract is not quite as absurd as it first sounds, Dorsey chose to commit to Parker in a big way. Dorsey was not forced into this situation, and he had no obligation to pay Parker – but he did anyway. I may now be a card-holding member of the John Dorsey Fan Club, but I think that Dorsey knows that Parker’s future is at safety and that he will continue to grow there as he gets more experience.
This aggressive offseason has produced an excellent side effect for the Chiefs: flexibility.
This aggressive offseason has produced an excellent side effect for the Chiefs: flexibility. As I looked through mock drafts and thought about where the Chiefs will likely go, a wonderful sense of uncertainty arose. The Chiefs could draft almost any position in the first round and it would neither make nor break this season based on the player’s position. Before free agency, most fans thought that the Chiefs had to take a wide receiver in the first round. After Jeremy Maclin was signed, the focus went to the guard position. The Chiefs then traded for a two-time Pro Bowler and signed a veteran for depth and competition. What about safety? Enter Tyvon Branch, re-enter Ron Parker. Inside linebacker? Derrick Johnson is on his way back.
The Chiefs have remarkably unique flexibility for the first rounds of this draft. They can truly take the best player available, and if they succeed, this team is going to continue to get more and more dangerous.
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Roughing the Kicker is a podcast on Arrowhead Addict Radio. RTK is about the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL through the eyes of Chiefs fans. Music by Baby Spaceman.